Vick hopes to spoil Giants' playoff hopes

PHILADELPHIA – Michael Vick isn’t a stats freak with one exception. The slightly fragile quarterback is 9-0 against NFC East teams in games he’s started and finished.

“That’s something I can take with me,” Vick said Friday. “Obviously this week it’s a totally different ball game. You’ve got to go out there and do it again and make it happen. And I’m pretty sure that we have the tools in this locker room to do it.”

This Sunday the Eagles (4-11) take on the New York Giants at the Meadowlands. The Giants (8-7) still are in the playoff hunt, but to get in they need a win over the Eagles and a small handful of other teams to lose.

The last thing the Giants need to live with is eliminating themselves before the other results are in. Vick knows this and how tough he’s been on divisional foes. It should be interesting.

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“I think they’re going to be excited,” Vick said. “They’ve got a lot to play for. We do as well. It’s going to make for a great game.”

Vick has tried to downplay it but he has everything in the world to play for this week. Unless the Eagles hire Tony Dungy to be their head coach they’re unlikely to pay Vick a $16.5 million base salary to return as a backup next season.

Though Vick probably won’t have to make a decision, he would be open to returning to the Eagles next season basically only if he got a chance to win the starting job. Again, that would be reflected in the paycheck.

“Absolutely, I want to be a starter in this league,” Vick said. “I can’t see myself not being a starter right now. I just feel like I have too much talent, too much to offer. But that’s not the gist of this conversation right now. I think it should be directed toward winning this game this week.”

The Eagles lost four of the five games Vick missed after sustaining a concussion against the Dallas Cowboys.

Rookie third-round pick Nick Foles has been up and down as the starter in those games. Ironically a broken hand is keeping him out of the season finale. Typically Vick is the guy who gets hurt.

“I have to just sit back and think about what has transpired and look at the situation as a whole,” Vick said. “Of course you would like to come back and play. I love the organization and I love what they’ve done for me. That’s genuine, and I’m not just saying that. Outside of football, the relationships that I’ve been able to develop and the personalities that are in the building...I’ve never been so close to so many people that I’ve worked with. If not it’s been wonderful and I understand the nature of this business. At some point we all have to move on.”

The bittersweet season most likely ends for Vick and head coach Andy Reid this weekend. Reid isn’t expected to return although he’s vowed to continue coaching.

Vick and Reid are inextricably linked. It was Reid who gave Vick the most coveted opportunity to return to the NFL after the veteran got out of prison. Vick was incarcerated 22 months for operating an illegal dog fighting ring. He’s since spoken out against the activity on behalf of the SPCA.

“I’m just happy for him besides the football part that his life is in order and he’s living the way he wants to live and that’s positive,” Reid said. “That’s the most important thing. He’s handling that well right now. The football part, both of us would have loved to win more games this year than last year.